J M
“Everything I have is because of her,” this is what Luigi Tan wrote in his tweet last August 12. He proudly posted about his sister, Lhowelle Lyka Tan, with a photo taken during his college graduation in 2012.
“We are the closest siblings you will ever know,” this Master of Business Administration said when we got to talk to him through Twitter.
With Luigi being in the FMCG industry and Lyka being in business, it’s kind of surprising to know that these two went through so many struggles while growing up.
They were only teenagers when their mom left them and ran away with another man. Luigi being only 18 and Lyka, 16, were forced to go experience things they never thought they’d experience growing up.
“We tried reaching out but she never looked back,” Luigi talked about their mother.
And for three months, they stayed with their step-dad until his family convinced him to let them fend for themselves.
“We begged for him to keep us in. We don’t have relatives to take us in. My real dad has a legitimate wife and they would never recognize us,” he said.
“Basically, it was this house or the streets, I thought.”
With the small amount of savings Luigi had and some good friends who were willing to help them, they found themselves in the care of other people. But their struggles didn’t end here as they needed to sacrifice one important thing: being together.
“My sister and I had to live in different houses because I couldn’t find someone who would take us both in. I still remember how hard we both cried when I left her at my friend’s place,” Luigi recalled.
They endured the pain of being apart for a year in order to survive. With Luigi’s savings and scholarship, he was able to pay for his sister’s tuition fee.
Then came the time when the people who were helping them couldn’t support them anymore and they were again left on their own. Just as when Luigi was ready to stop his education, Lyka decided that she would stop her studies and work as a freelance model to support herself and her brother’s studies.
“To be honest, this was really painful. I’m the older sibling. This should be my responsibility. She knows how hard I study. You could say that I am academically inclined since elementary.”
He was a BS Biology student in UP Manila at that time to fulfill his childhood dreams of being a doctor. “Life will really slap you and bring you back to reality,” he said.
Though Luigi also had tutoring gigs and other sidelines to make extra income, we all know how expensive college is, it was just not enough.
“I would still remember during my last year in UP when I would ask for ‘baon’ from her. Thesis days were a nightmare because I had to spend on materials or printing and again, I would ask money from her.”
This proves that he really has a selfless sister as she never complained about the expenses. But this meant that they had to sacrifice other things- like special occasions for example.
She's the reason why I finished college. Everything I have is because of her. Pinagaral nya ako because we're practically orphans. She's my younger sister and she's my hero. 😘 pic.twitter.com/gtTF67lLst
— Weegee (@WeegeeTan) August 12, 2020
“I remember how sad our 1st Christmas was. We spent it apart with no presents to open. Super different from what we were used to,” Luigi shared as this experience gave birth to a meaningful tradition that they have practiced since then.
“So we promised to but each other that we will spend all our Christmases together. Since we lived together again, every Christmas eve, we would give several small gifts para lang we would know how it feels to open presents.”
As for Lyka’s studies, she never finished. Luigi offered his sister the chance to go back to her studies, but she declined as she wanted to continue earning.
“But I promise that if she decides to go back, I’ll make sure that I have her back,” he said.
After that, Luigi sweetly said, “We are the closest siblings you will ever know. As in. No joke. Hahaha. I guess life made me lose my parents because my sister is more than enough to be my family.”
Knowing that there are a lot of people who are suddenly put in a situation where in the world they knew is not their reality anymore, we asked Luigi for advice on how to motivate yourself to move forward.
“Life will throw stones at you and you will get hurt but don’t let this turn your heart to stone,” he stated.
“Strive hard. Use your skills and talent to survive. Help will come and when it is your time to help, pay it forward.”
And any words for his sister?
“I would literally be nothing without you. You have been my rock and my family. Know that I will never get tired of thanking you for all the sacrifices you’ve done for me. I am eternally grateful that you are my sister. No one can ever replace you in my life and the love I have for you is unconditional. We may have the most dysfunctional parents but I’m glad God gave me a complete family through you.”
